Hina Cantus
Hina Cantus '''(キャンタス・ヒナ, ''Kyantasu Hina'') is the cook, musician, and Pawn(s) of the Checkmate Pirates. Appearance One of the most normal of the crew, Hina is a very standard young girl. She has a cute, small face with long brown hair in a ponytail and big brown eyes as well. She has quite a good figure, not too pronounced in any particular aspect, with the faintest hint of plumpness stemming from eating her tasty creations. Most of the time she wears a blue and white checkered apron, over a fairly tight pink blouse and a dark blue skirt. She tends to wear oven mitts a lot of the time (except when she's playing her flute, of course) and she has a burn mark on her left hand from her days as a young cook. She also keeps a peculiar flageolet, a small woodwind instrument, tucked in a loop on her belt. She's very cute, though she wishes she had a more mature, adult beauty. Personality Hina is very sweet, and much more neutral in style than her extreme crewmates. She is deeply empathetic, and can feel the emotions of the rest of the crew. Although she's one of the younger members, she likes to think of herself as a mother figure to the crew. Considering the immaturity of the elder members like Mel and Faust, this might not be far off from her actual role. She does idolize the older girls though, admiring Lucia's cool stoicism and greatly admiring Mel's attractiveness and mature knowledge of worldly matters. Hina is quite a romantic, not specifically in regards to two people together but more toward the nature of the world, more like Rennaisance romanticism. Hina takes care of Shiro and Kuro more than anyone, though this role is usually handed over to one of the Bishops whenever she needs to cook and the kitchen is hot. Shiro and Kuro love her very much, since Shiro loves to chop the vegetables and Kuro likes to play with Hina's dolls. Relationships Crew Due to her empathetic nature, Hina cares so deeply for her friends and fellow crewmates that she feels what they feel. She can't bear to see them hurt, and prides herself in keeping them in good spirits and in a good condition. Fay Although Fay does not interact with the crew, and she hid herself from them since the time of her joining, Hina and Arthur both feel strongly that she deserves to be treated as one of them and hope that she will feel comfortable enough to join them for real. Due to Fay's enigmatic nature and traumatic past, Hina doesn't quite understand Fay's feelings beyond a deep and utter sadness, which Hina wishes to change. Lucia Hina cares about Lucia very much, and goes to great extents to make sure Lucia doesn't feel excluded from the group's activities and adventures. She also goes out of her way to arrange Lucia's food carefully so that it's always in the same place, enabling the blind girl to better eat her meals. This greatly annoys Lucia, since it's this sort of treatment she wishes not to be subjected to, but Lucia appreciates the effort Hina puts into things all the same. Shiro and Kuro Hina always makes time for the twins, entertaining them by playing her flute or making tasty sweets that they'll enjoy. Because she feels so close to them (and the crew as a whole,) she strongly discourages them from being treated as equal fighters, and will sometimes appeal to Arthur that a life on the seas is too dangerous. Still, no matter how much she dislikes it, her empathy tells her that they both enjoy the life of a pirate too much to ever leave it for the sake of safety. Abilities Hina's interesting ability stems from her empathizing nature, and her skill to listen and touch upon the essences of things. She can synchronize these feelings with her target using her little pipe. Like the Pied Piper, Hina plays a specific melody that resonates with the "heart" of even inanimate objects, causing them to burst with life for the short while that she plays. Most often, the objects form into doll shapes which she then manipulates with song. Her Song of Stone is the most used, as small rock dolls make good assistants and servants. Although trickier, the Song of Water and Song of Fire also exist. Technically the Song of Air does as well, but air is difficult to use as a doll. The main weakness, in addition to the small size of the dolls and the limitations of whatever elements she's controlling, is that she can only play one song at any given time. What surprises her opponents is that this is not a Devil Fruit power, and an enemy can be fooled into a sense of false security by throwing her in water or locking her with Kairoseki. Following the temporary disbandment of the Checkmate Pirates where each member engaged in individual training, Hina trained with and was regaled by tales from a brave warrior of the sea. This legendary adventurer's stories inspired her to better herself, and she began to change her usual melodies and add considerable variety to her genre. The result is that the dolls she creates began to take new shapes, because the dolls' elements are chosen by the tune but their shapes are chosen by the rhythm. The songs can be specialized further by combining qualities of two songs to compose a new song for another element, like Ice or Smoke. Depending on how much emphasis she puts on one song of the pair over the other, different combinations can be created even with the same songs. These peculiar attritbutes can be specialized indefinitely, so long as Hina is able to quickly compose appropriate music. Attacks: '''Song of Stone (石の歌, Ishi no Uta): Hina's most used song, a slow and steady tune which brings stones to life and forms them into small golem-like dolls. The dolls are good for labor, and quite sturdy. The drawback is that the stones need to be loose already; the dolls can't just rise from a solid stone ground. Song of Water (水の歌, Mizu no Uta): A very useful song, with a fluid and lilting melody, that brings water to life. The water comes together in a little humanoid shape, and it can walk around. The drawback is that the water will still dry up, so it can't really stay around for so long. If Hina stops playing for a moment the water will splash away, so she's limited to her breath. Song of Fire (火の歌, Hi no Uta): A more attacking song, a fast and vigorous tempo that plucks out fire and animates it. The fire swirls around, trying to keep form, and can be quickly directed into a target. The weakness is that the fire doesn't just appear, it has to already exist to be used. Once the fire is separated from its fuel it will die quickly, so it's often easier to use the Song of Stone to animate the coal instead. Song of Air (空気の歌, Kuuki no Uta): A subtle song, using many high notes and swooping rhythms. Since air is invisible the doll shapes are difficult to establish. They cannot move fast or create huge gusts of wind, so this song is most useful for giving a little air to Hina's allies, by making the air doll travel into their lungs, even underwater. This is also useful for playing more than one flute, though that is hard for Hina to control. Song of Excitement (刺激の歌, Shigeki no Uta): A hotblooded and upbeat song which does not animate any object, but instead pumps up the attitudes of her teammates to the point of accelerating them and powering them up. This does come at the cost of rapid depletion of energy, so it's not something to be used lightly. Symphony: Festival of Dolls (交響曲: 雛祭, Koukyoukyoku: Hinamatsuri): Hina's strongest technique. Either through the use of microphones, multiple flutes and the Song of Air, or best of all in conjunction with her group of minstrels, Hina plays a symphony of many songs which brings to life the whole world around her. Other than how difficult it is to initiate and sustain, Hina doesn't use this move much because it's hard for her to pronounce. Post-Training: Rhythm of the Warrior (戦士の節奏, Senshi no Sessou): This tune is slow but resounding and solid. It works best with the Song of Stone, and worst with the Song of Air. The rhythm causes the doll formed to be about six feet tall and humanoid, and a capable warrior. Rhythm of the Rogue (泥棒の節奏, Dorobo no Sessou): This tune is soft but fast and determined. It works best with the Song of Water, and worst with the Song of Fire. The rhythm causes the doll formed to be about four feet tall, hunched, and very narrow. It increases the speed and agility of the doll, making it good for stealth and delivering messages. Rhythm of the Wanderer (旅人の節奏, Tabinin no Sessou): This tune is almost discordant, but there is reason in its chaos. It works best with the Song of Air, and worst with the Song of Stone. The rhythm causes the doll formed to vary in shape and size based on the pace of the melody. Usually any structured body doesn't react well to these changes, but more amorphous shapes like elongating snakes take to it well. The dolls created by this rhythm tend to be slow and without purpose, making them better for utility. Rhythm of the Tyrant (暴君の節奏, Boukun no Sessou): This tune is loud and forceful. It works best with the Song of Fire, and worst with the Song of Water. The rhythm causes the doll formed to last for a very short time, a minute at the most, but it moves forcefully and explodes violently at the end of its duration. History Formation of the Checkmate Pirates: The Checkmate Pirates came together on Hayward D. Rockefeller's home island of Deepwater Island. Hina arrived on the island early in the day with her band of travelling minstrels, playing her music to entertain the masses and excited about playing for the World Noble later on. In the crowd in the center of town she met Mellifera, and struck up a fast friendship. She brought the girl up to the circle of castles but left her as she saw her group setting up. She lost track of Mel, but following Hayward's attack she knew that she had to find her friend. She ran into Lucia, and used the powers of her flute to move the fire away from the burning entrance into the building. After freeing Arthur and Mel, Hina and Arthur swapped placed with Vice Admirals Bartleby and Argos to face against Hayward. Hina proved invaluable by using her stone dolls to create a guarding dome against Hayward's rushing oil attacks, and Arthur was eventually able to use the dome to trap Hayward. Arthur then instructed Hina to follow the World Noble to the beach to prevent him from leaving and allowing the Admiral to go wild. She found Hayward's lighter, and used the Song of Fire to destroy the World Noble's rudder, stopping him until the Marines could fix it. She met Rayden and Haiiro, and fled with them first back into the forests, but returned to the beach after rejoining with Arthur. She and Haiiro fought against Calomel, but they were fighting a losing battle until Haiiro split himself and Kuro's enhanced pasting powers combined the sand into stones to recreate Hina's guardian dome. Evading the remaining attacks, she joined the rest of the crew on the ship. Later she grouped around with the rest of the crew, and for her support and backbone of the crew, Arthur dubbed her and her dolls the Pawns of the Checkmate Pirates. Extra Art hina 1.jpg|Hina Cantus: Take One. I'm still not sure which version I like better. Credit to Aquatic_Kimothy. Trivia *Hina's name comes from the Japanese word for doll, hina, while her surname is the Latin word meaning "to sing," referencing her flute. *Hina's ability to empathize with nearly anything, from people to inanimate objects, ties into her theme of dolls, as voodoo dolls are supposedly used to make a target feel whatever the doll feels. When Hina plays the songs of her elements, she is feeling what the element feels. She cannot make voodoo dolls, however. *Hina's favorite foods are breads and pastries, while her least favorite food is meat of any sort. *Hina Cantus (the character) was created by me, Nettlekid. *The excellent original drawing of Hina Cantus was done by Aquatic_Kimothy. Category:Checkmate Pirates Category:Characters Category:Cooks Category:Musicians Category:Female Category:Pirates